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The Mutt is back!
After a four-month closure for renovations, Mutt Lynch’s near the Newport Pier has returned with a refreshed look including an expanded ocean-view bar, and a familiar menu that features all the classic Mutt Lynch’s dishes (more than 200 items are on the menu) plus their iconic schooners of beer (40 brands on tap).
Situated in a 100-year-old building, the 3,400-square-foot beachfront bar needed upgrades to its electrical and plumbing, giving the family-owned business the opportunity for some aesthetic changes as well.
According to information provided by Mutt Lynch’s, upgrades to the design were led by Meghan Murray, daughter of Mutt’s founders Gail and Dan Lynch. To execute her vision, Murray partnered with Jamie Flores, a local contractor who started as a dishwasher at Mutt Lynch’s 25 years ago and has been with the brand ever since. He is now a partner in the brand’s sister concept, Mutt’s, which opened last spring in Eastbluff Village Center and is responsible for its design alongside Murray.
Notable upgrades: garage door-style roll-up windows, renovated and recovered booth seating, pop art wall tiling, and the addition of a communal booth underneath a “Schoon-delier” – a custom chandelier made of the 32oz goblet that has become synonymous with the brand.
You can call Murray’s design “Americana at the beach,” which certainly fits the Mutt Lynch’s convivial atmosphere (trivia fact—the restaurant was named one of North America’s Best Beach Bars by Men’s Journal).
Despite the popularity of the beer schooners, Mutt Lynch’s is looking to expand its alcohol offerings this summer to include full liquor.
History moment: The original Mutt Lynch’s location opened in 1976 near the Fun Zone ferry dock on the Balboa Peninsula. It was named after Dan’s father, Emmett Lynch, who was given the nickname “Mutt” when he served in the Army during World War 1.
After a fire in 1982, the restaurant relocated to its current location on the oceanfront boardwalk. The wooden bar from the original location survived the fire and the renovation, remaining the focal point of their bustling beach bar today.
Mutt Lynch’s is open 365 days a year from 8 a.m. until 10 p.m. For a full menu and more information, visit https://www.muttlynchs.com.
